1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing a zinc silicate-based phosphor and a zinc silicate-based phosphor prepared using the method, and more particularly, to a method of preparing a zinc silicate-based phosphor, by which uniform size distribution of nano-sized particles can be obtained, and which can be performed at a low temperature and is cost-effective, and a zinc silicate-based phosphor prepared using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A phosphor is a material which emits light in response to energy stimulation. In general, phosphors are used in light sources such as Hg fluorescent lamps, Hg-free fluorescent lamps, etc., various devices such as electron emission devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), etc., and various additional uses are expected with development of new multi-media devices.
Nano phosphors, also referred to as nano-sized phosphors, advantageously exhibit a lower light scattering effect, compared to conventional bulk-sized phosphors.
Nano phosphors should have properties of small particle size, separation between particles, and good light emission efficiency. However, when producing small and well-separated phosphors, light emission efficiency thereof is generally very low, and when a sintering temperature or time is increased in order to increase the light emission efficiency, phosphor particles are agglomerated, and thus the phosphor particles are not nano-sized any more, which is a technical drawback in the field of conventional nano phosphor production. Another disadvantage with the conventional technology is a prolonged period of processing, including mixing, drying, firing, and pulverizing. In order to overcome such drawbacks, heat spraying and laser crystallization methods have been suggested as alternative methods of increasing light emission efficiency. Despite having high quality characteristics, uses of such methods are severely limited due to high operating and equipment costs, and difficulty in scale-up manufacturing.
In addition, there is a solid-state reaction method that can be used to mass produce zinc silicate (Zn2SiO4:Mn) phosphors.